Memphis beat LA Clippers by a score of 98-78, even catching some fans off guard. "We knew the lines in Vegas listed us as favorites," said Memphis coach Bob. "And we knew we had a great shot going in, but really expected a more competitive game. I don't know whether we were really that good or whether they had something else on their minds. Whatever, we're thrilled to get this kind of win over an excellent team like LA Clippers."

Said LA Clippers star Minor, "Coach kept yelling at us 'you know you're better than that,' and he was right. We just didn't have the intensity or whatever today, and it showed in our game. The good thing is that we know we can't play much worse than we did out there, and that we could have won if we'd played as good as we're capable of playing."

Memphis was led by Tompkins (22 points, 0 assists), Wilkins (11 points, 6 boards, 1 assists, 3 blocks), Eugene (9 points, 4 steals, a block). LA Clippers was led by Minor (24 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks), Starks (9 points, a steal, a block), Quarles (11 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, a steal, a block).

With the victory, Memphis stand at 53-19 and 29-8 at home. They remain at #1 in the Southwest and remain at #2 overall in the Western Conference. LA Clippers stand at 68-6. They clinched the Pacific championship and stay at #1 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Memphis roster LA Clippers* roster